Sacrifice
by o.OchantelO.o
Summary: While fighting against a powerful, mysterious woman.. Kahlan is launched into an unknown world of sorrow, pain, and death. This is her journey.. or is it?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Sacrifice  
><strong>Author: <strong>Chantel  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-R, dark themes in later chapters.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Legend of the Seeker or the Sword of Truth series. This is all non-profit, creative fun. I'm just expressing Nerd solidarity and borrowing the characters for a bit :)

**Summary: **While fighting against a powerful, mysterious woman.. Kahlan is launched into an unknown world of sorrow, pain, and death. This is her journey.. or is it?

**Author's Note:**

_Well hi there LoTS fandom. I've been admiring you from a far for quite some time and though maybe we could get better acquainted? Haha, this is my first Seeker fic. I'm posting this as a teaser to see who's interested and who is not. Read on, let me know what you're feeling._

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><p>White light engulfed the small cave so entirely that movement ceased. A piercing howl flooded the room and each occupant was brought to their knees. Magic hung in the air, heavy with power. The light surged forward, unexpectedly culminating in an explosion midair. It was almost blinding.<p>

Kahlan fumbled around on the ground, unsure of when she had hit the cave floor, and tried to regain her wits. "Spirits," the Confessor gasped out, holding a hand to her head. There was a ringing raging between her ears. The hum of the vibrations blocking everything else out.

It was as if time was frozen in those few moments. The air thickened around her, weighing her limbs down as she tried to force herself to her feet again. Her body was weighed down and Kahlan found herself unable to move. Panic set in as her eyes darted around the room.

Neither Cara, Richard, or Zedd were in Kahlans direct line of sight. Neither is the Sorceress they were battling against before chaos of the magic exploded through the air.

In the blink of an eye, the cave goes dark.

"Come out and face me, coward!" The Confessor shouts.

A deep, resonating laughter comes from above her.

"Coward?" A low, feminine voice teases.

As quickly as the darkness had arrived, it recedes.

Hovering over her body, is a short, silver haired woman. Her age, displayed by the wrinkles that appear on her face as her lips turn into a smile and release a hearty laugh.

The woman stares at Kahlan, before quirking her eyebrow and shaking her head. Kahlan would have found the expression endearing, had this not been the woman that, only moments before, she was engaging in combat with.

"Something amusing, Sorceress?" Kahlan hissed out, defiant to show fear in the face of her enemy.

Grey eyes raked over her body, turning her stomach as they did. The woman observed her in silence and Kahlan took the opportunity to fight. Forgetful of her inability to move, Kahlan thrashed her body about with all her strength. She barely moved an inch.

The woman remained silent as she bent down to run her hand over the Mother Confessor's face. Her touch was soft, gentle. As the old woman inspected her face, Kahlan stared, confused, into the dark grey eyes. They pierced right through her.

"Who are you?" she whispered, finally, unable to tear her gaze away from the woman's face.

She was met with a chuckle.

"Well," the woman began after another few moments, "Sorceress, I am not, Kahlan Amnell. Sorceress, I am not."

Kahlan blinks a few times, digesting the fact that this woman knows who she is. There is something familiar in the way her name is spoken that tugs at Kahlans soul. Many people recognize her, most know of her. Few people, however, are ever acquainted with her in the way this woman's behavior suggests she is.

The buzzing in her ears stop. The air loosens and the silver haired woman stands.

She offers her hand to Kahlan. The Confessor stands without it, a mask of indifference painted on her face.

Kahlan lunges forward, wrapping her hands around the womans neck and releases her magic. The woman falls to her knees before her.

Silence ensues until,

"Command me, Confessor"

Before Kahlan knows that it's happened, the woman has disarmed her of her knives and knocked her on her back.

The woman is fast. Too fast, and Kahlan finds a hand slammed into her chest, cutting off her attempt to spring back up.

Rocks dig into her skin as the woman pins her to the ground by her neck with one hand. Kahlan is paralyzed again as a thickly amused voice slithers out, "Perhaps not this time, hmm?."

There's a gleeful look in the grey eyes now. A challenge.

Kahlan does not get the chance to accept it, however. The woman's other hand comes down and sinks into her chest.

A strangled cry escapes her lips. Fingers coil around Kahlans heart tightly.

The world goes dark again.

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><p>What do you guys think so far?<br>Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Sacrifice  
><strong>Author: <strong>Chantel  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-R, dark themes in later chapters.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Legend of the Seeker or the Sword of Truth series. This is all non-profit, creative fun. I'm just expressing Nerd solidarity and borrowing the characters for a bit :)  
><strong>Summary: <strong>While fighting against a powerful, mysterious woman.. Kahlan is launched into an unknown world of sorrow, pain, and death. This is her journey.. or is it?  
><strong>ReviewsFeedback: **Would love to hear your comments. Seriously, send em my way. Please? And thank you!

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><p>Pain courses through Kahlan's body, burning paths through her veins and setting her blood aflame. She can feel her body contort under the woman's grip. Electricity surges towards her heart, starting it, stopping it, slowing it. The cycle on repeat. Time loses it's meaning as she lies, writhing against the grains of sand under the body.<p>

She feels like glass against their coarse caress. She is being reshaped. Her hands grasp against the womans arms and she looks towards the hands attached to those arms. They are inside of her chest. Wiggling around inside of her heart. Touching her soul. The pain is excruciating. Vile. She can feel darkness swarm around her.  
>The scent of blood is rich in the air, palpable, tangible. She can taste it on her tongue.<br>Kahlan cries out as she struggles to pull the hands away from her heart. Her cries are loud against the silence, shattering it to pieces.  
>The woman laughs louder.<br>Everything starts spinning then. Kahlan can feel the life being sucked from her.  
>Her eyes roll back into her head and she blacks out.<br>The pain lulling her to sleep.

Kahlan hears a shriek of agony. Images flash behind her eyes in the moments between sleeping and waking.

_Flashes of fire. A creek littered with dead fish. The breeze flowing strongly through the trees. Bloodied hands. Tears falling into a pond. Fierce eyes. Deep green tree leaves. Rotted corpses, strung about._

The cry gets louder and the images quicken.

_Battle. War. Death. Men littered across a field, smoke rising from the blood stained earth._

_Herself walking across a bridge, smiling and laughing. The moon shining down on her camp, bathing her in dim light. The darkness of her eyes as she releases her magic and confesses a man. A light explodes from her chest as he falls to his knees and blood erupts from his mouth. He smiles at her._

Kahlan wakes with a start. Quickly looking around she realizes she doesn't know where she is, how she got there, or what has happened to her in the last day. Her heart is racing, pounding against her chest as she bolts upright and to her feet.

Her last memory is of laying in her bedroll after waking Cara for night watch.

She whips her head from side to side, instinctively going for her blades. Her hands grasp air as the Confessor realizes she is dressed without any weapons.

The cry sounds again and Kahlan takes in her surroundings.

There are no men attacking her, no one rushing her. In fact, there is no one around her at all. She listens hard and moves towards the noise with caution. After a few moments she comes across a small home.

"Hello?" she calls out as she enters the house. The cries are coming from the back room. "Hello?" she shouts now.

There is no reply, only weeping and cursing.

Kahlan quickens her pace and opens the door.

There is a woman lying on a bed. Her legs are up, bent at the knees. A small pool of blood surrounds the apex of her legs. She is crying but Kahlan cannot see her face.

It is blocked, by a bulging mass on her torso.

The woman is in labour.

"It's okay!" Kahlan shouts, moving towards the bed, "It's okay! I can help!"

Blood pounds through her body but before she has a chance to reach towards the woman, a man bursts through the door. He is rambling, shaking, as he sets the boiling water on the ground. He speaks to the woman and Kahlan discerns that he is her husband.

"I heard her crying out and made my way here. I mean you no harm."

She tries to speak to him, but he ignores her.

He's stumbling around the room incoherently.

"Hey!" Kahlan calls, "You need to calm down. It will be okay, we just have to get through this and it will be okay. I've been part of the birthing process before. Take a deep breath."

He ignores her still, rambling on about where to put the towels and what to do with the rest of his supplies. The man turns towards his wife, "It's okay! We're ready! It's okay, love. You're doing wonderfully. You can do this. We can do this together."

Kahlan approaches the man, ready to explain to him what he needs to do. He doesn't even look towards her.

"If you'll forgive my forwardness, I am Kahlan Amnell. I believe I can be of some assistance if you would just-"

He walks right through her.

"-Listen."

Sickness roots itself deep in Kahlans body. Her stomach rolls and at first she is in shock enough to deny what has just happened. She stands stationary, her hands raised slightly and eyes wide. It's only moments later when she feels the man walk through her again, this time from behind, that she fully understands what's just happened. She watches him walk away from her and watches as he moves through her again.

Then Kahlan has the good grace to move out of the way.

"Spirits help me.." she utters in disbelief.

She sprints out of the house and towards the grassy area she woke up in. "Richard!" She screams, "Zedd!"

The Confessor runs frantically through the woods in search of her friends.

"Cara!" she cries out.

No one answers.

She looks for a sign of one of them, of all them. Her search comes up empty. There is nothing here. The woods don't look familiar at all, she is in foreign territory.

A voice startles her from behind.

"Are you lost, dear?" There is something about the low voice that Kahlan recognizes. She turns to face the woman, small and frail, hooded and using a walking stick.

"You can see me!" Kahlan rushes out, "Oh thank the Spirits!" she laughs out.

"My eyes may be old. But see, they still do. Quite well, in fact."

Relief washes over Kahlan as she walks towards the woman with a smile on her face.

As she approaches the woman, a sound reverberates through her body. It's a gentle hum.

"Wait.." Kahlan stops mid pace.

"Waiting is so tedious a practise, Confessor."

The woman looks up as she speaks and as grey eyes meet her blue ones, Kahlan is filled with an immense recollection. Everything rushes back to her.

Her hands fly to her chest as the burn of the woman's fingers return.

"What have you done?" demands the brunette as she pants heavily.

The woman moves her hood back. A sick, sallow face contorts into a grin.

"I've yet to do anything to you. This is the first our paths of crossed here."

Her tone is light, playful. It leaves a sour taste in Kahlan's mouth.

"You speak in riddles, Sorceress. Where is 'here' then?" Kahlan's voice is tight as she asks the question.

Silver hair sparkles under the sun's light as the woman rolls her eyes and huffs.

"You seek the answers to all of the wrong questions, Confessor. Honestly, I expected more. And you don't listen well, do you?"

Annoyance is painted on across the strange woman's face as she dismisses Kahlan, "Go back to the house from which you came. Stay where I send you if you wish to make it home."

She waves her hand as if to send Kahlan away, but the Confessor is too struck by how frail the fingers are that wrapped ferociously around her heart and squeezed.

The woman vanishes into a cloud of smoke before Kahlan can tear her gaze away.

The brunette startles slightly, but then sighs in annoyance. "I don't have time for these games, Sorceress!" she calls to the air.

There's no reply.

Kahlan crosses her arms defiantly, "Not even the Keeper could force me to do as you say!" she calls out again, turning in the opposite direction and walking.

Moments later, Kahlan finds herself in front of the house again.

"Of course!" she lets out, and turns the opposite direction to search for Richard.

Within two paces, she finds herself inside the room where the labour had taken place.

It was a successful birthing, Kahlan notes. She takes in the happy glow of the new parents. The woman breathes steadily as she holds her newborn. Her hair glows golden in the sunlight. More people have arrived since Kahlan was here last. The sun is a little lower in the sky as well. A significant amount of time had passed since her previous visit. "Great. Just great."

Kahlan trys to leave the room, but quickly finds that she can't. There's some type of force field locking her in. After checking the room for a possible way to escape, and finding none, the Mother Confessor settles into a corner and watches the family before her interact for a few moments. Embarrassed by her act of voyeurism, she turned her thoughts elsewhere.

The Sorceress.

Kahlan had confessed her. Nothing had happened. She had never encountered such an event before. Had the Sorceress been confessed by someone before her? It seemed unlikely. What did it mean if her powers were useless against this woman?

Questions fired off inside of her mind. Where were Richard and the group? Were they hurt? If this woman had managed to abduct her, what had happened to her friends?

Kahlan attempts to piece together what had happened before the white light had filled the cave.

She remembers Richard charging the Sorceress first. His sword glinting in the light of the fire before she threw him against a wall with a blast of strange energy.

Zedd had attempted to throw some magic of his own around. The woman had simply absorbed it and struck him with her staff.

Cara had covered her as she entered the cave. The Mordsith blocked the oncoming attack from the Sorceress' minions, catching a dagger before it had implanted itself in Kahlans back.

The two women had battled, back to back, against the 10 men who rushed them once Richard and Zedd had moved forward.

Kahlan had remembered the feeling of eyes on her during the attack, but shook it off to concentrate on the combat before her.

The men were on the ground, incapacitated within minutes. Cara and Kahlan were an effective fighting team. They took cues from the other wordlessly. Cara was always exactly where Kahlan needed her to be and she always watched her back.

There's an ache in Kahlans chest and she curses the Sorceress who sent her here. The woman who robbed Kahlan of her very sense of self. Whose fingers scratched the edges of Kahlan's soul and then laughed about it after.

Focusing, the Confessor returns her mind back to the battle.

After she and Cara had finished off the guards, she had turned to move forward. Her mind was on Richard and Zedd's unconscious forms. She had taken one pace when the feeling of Cara's hand on her arm cut her short. The blonde moved in front of her, wordlessly. She remembers rolling her eyes at Cara's actions only to step back in surprise a moment later. "Don't move," the MordSith had ordered.

Kahlan watched as the blonde kicked a stone up and forward. The rock made contact with barrier of some kind and was shot with a bolt of electricity before disappearing.

"Thanks," she had breathed out. Cara had merely nodded and… and then what?

Everything becomes hazy after that and though she struggles, Kahlan cannot recall the memories between Cara's nod and the sudden flood of white light.

A cry breaks her reverie.

The room is dark now, bathed only in the light of the moon.

Kahlan notices there is a medicine woman attending to the new mother and that the father is elsewhere. She knows it won't help, but still she stands and crosses the room to the infant.

In a small basket, crafted specifically for the soul reason to hold a small child, lay the tiniest infant that Kahlan has ever laid eyes on.

Her face lights up in a smile as tiny eyes look up at her and the crying stops.

"My baby girl," Kahlan hears the new mother voice her concern.

"She's fine," says the medicine woman, "you hear that? She's stopped crying. All is well. Now let me attend to these."

"Hello, baby girl," Kahlan whispers, though she need not.

"You did a very fine job today, coming into the world all by yourself."

The newborn looks at Kahlan with wide, curious eyes. "Can you see me, baby girl?" she asks gently.

Kahlan stares at the child for long moments before reaching her hand towards her form. She ghosts her hands over the childs head softly.

Kahlan loses track of how long she stands by the infants side, but when she watches tiny eyelids close and pop open, she realizes that the new mother is now fast asleep. No doubt from the strain of the day and the medicine woman's herbs. "It's okay, new one. Close your eyes."

Her finger reaches out to stroke the baby's cheek. She stops herself short.

She forgot for a moment.

The tiny child whines as she moves her hand away. So Kahlan leaves it there until the small girl's eyes close for the night.

Even in the chaos around her, Kahlan finds herself genuinely smiling.

It's said quietly, but it still echoes through the room, "You're the most precious thing I've ever seen."

Seconds later Kahlan is standing in an open field.

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><p>Moments whirl past Kahlan uncontrollably.<p>

The new father introducing his older daughter to her new sister.

The childs first, infectious giggle.

Her chubby legs wobbling slightly before she takes her first, unsure steps.

Wild sea green eyes lighting up with excitement as those first steps turn quickly into the ability to run.

Kahlans world is turning quickly and as she reaches out to steady herself, she watches her fingertips cut through the colours of the world around her. The madness stops quickly and she's throw to the ground. The sound of the familiar giggling snaps her head up.

A little girl sits in the middle of a field, running her fingers gently over the flowers that surround her. A small doll sits in her lap. The girl smiles before springing up and running excitedly towards a fence, doll bouncing in her hand as she does.

Before Kahlan has time to question where she is, her position shifts.

The same child is playing in the fallen leaves of trees. She is singing quietly to herself as she throws the leaves above her head and dances in them. Her blonde hair glistens under the sun as she twirls round and round.

Kahlan realizes the girl is and older version of the newborn. The seasons are changing. She is moving forward in time. "What is this?" she calls out.

The ground spins and disappears.

When her vision clears this time, the young girl is with a taller, older girl. The older girl, who Kahlan recognizes as the girls sister, is crying, holding a tiny wooden horse that appears to have split in two.

The younger girl frowns, takes the broken toy and hugs her sister.

"It's okay," she whispers, "you can have mine."

The small blonde hands over her own toy without blinking once.

Kahlan feels her heart warm for this child she's never spoken to. She begins to move through the changes with more ease. She hears a loud laugh and turns, only to encounter another change of scenery.

She's in a schoolyard now, watching, as the young blonde sits off to the side playing with another small, dark haired girl. The teacher calls everyone inside. The two children stand and lock hands before following their classmates inside.

Within the blink of an eye, Kahlan finds herself beside a stream. She watches the father show his two daughters how to use his fishing net. The young child that Kahlan has watched grow tall shrinks under his instruction.

She is on the other side of the stream and cannot hear their conversation.

Suddenly the light disappears. Kahlan is surprised to see the stream from her vision before. Dead fish float everywhere. She hears screaming, kicking and grunting. She makes out the voice of the young girl.

"I'm sorry! Please! No!"

Kahlan feels her blood turn to ice when she hears the shrill squeal of an Agiel pierce through the air.

"STOP!" Kahlan screams.

The stream begins to boil and turns a deep, thick crimson. Steam rises from the water, bringing a pungent rotten smell with it, as it curdles above the current.

A hand grabs Kahlan and forces her to turn around.

There is no one standing in front of her. Instead, Kahlan watches as the small, blonde child is thrown into a dark cell. She feels stomach turn and tightens her fists.

Her limbs retain the same paralysed condition they did the first time she woke up. Unable to move, she watches helplessly as the little girl cries. The cell is bolted shut, lit faintly enough for Kahlan to be able to see the decayed corpse, stuffed in the corner, and the rats that chew at the remaining flesh. The child curls into a ball on the floor and rocks herself back and forth as she shakes.

It feels like only minutes, but somehow Kahlan knows that hours have passed. Blonde hair covers the child's face still. When the sound of a key turning a lock sounds, Kahlan turns her gaze and freezes. Every fibre of her being is itching to move, but the Sorceresses magic holds her in place.

Dark red leathers cling tightly to the athletic form. The dark colour emphasizing the long blonde braid of hair. A group of MordSith hover behind, still cloaked in darkness. Shock and disgust fill Kahlan as she watches the womans lips curve into a sickening smile.

As the MordSith raises her torch, Kahlan almost doubles over as recognition slams into her.

"It can't be," she breaths out.

"This.. This can't be!" she cries.

The blonde hair, the green eyes, the smile, even the voice. Everything about the small child seems all too well known now. Realization crashes down onto her. It rushes into Kahlan with an unrelenting force.

"No…"

She stares into the face of a woman she remembers Confessing. The MordSith who posed as a school teacher to target young girls. The same MordSith who broke..

"Cara.."

She whispers the name out at the same time the woman does.

"Cara," a firm voice demands. The young girl looks up.

Kahlan would have fallen if not for the force of magic holding her body in place. She feels herself being torn away from the moment. The sound has faded and her body begins to hum. Anger surges through her blood, growing more powerful with each beat of her heart. Understanding dawns on Kahlan as she looks into the scared green eyes that stare up at the MordSith. The silence is overbearing as she gasps out her discovery, "Spirits help me.. These are memories,"

Her voice trembles under the weight of her realization.

"These are Cara's memories.."

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><p>What did you guys think? :O!<br>Thanks for reading! Hope you send me a review :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Sacrifice  
><strong>Author: <strong>Chantel  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-R, dark themes in later chapters.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Legend of the Seeker or the Sword of Truth series. This is all non-profit, creative fun. I'm just expressing Nerd solidarity and borrowing the characters for a bit :)  
><strong>Summary: <strong>While fighting against a powerful, mysterious woman.. Kahlan is launched into an unknown world of sorrow, pain, and death. This is her journey.. or is it?  
><strong>ReviewsFeedback: **Would love to hear your comments. Seriously, send em my way. Please? And thank you!

Author's Note: Holy Grilled Cheesus! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and to everyone who read/favourited/alerted! Talk about overwhelming. In a good way though XD, a very good way. There will definitely be more to come if you guys keep it up. I'm super appreciative! Four for you readers! You go readers!

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><p><em>These are memories! These are Cara's memories! <em>

There's a bright flash and then Kahlan is watching as Cara is dragged from the cell and out of her sight. Something breaks inside of her as she watches the innocent child being torn away from her life. Kahlan surges forward, colliding with the bars and screaming as loud as her lungs allow.

"Stop! Stop this! Cara! Cara it's okay! It'll be okay!"

The Mother Confessor lunges out with her arms in an attempt to free herself from the cell.

"Cara!" she cries out, "Cara!"

Kahlan backs up quickly, assessing the situation. She brings her leg up and thrust forward, kicking at the metal grate with all of her might. "Cara!"

Kahlan hammers against the cell with all of her might. When she finds the grate won't budge under her kicks, she backs up and throws her body against the door. She slams heavily into the metal. Her frenzied movements grow angrier against the resistance of the bars. Her hands wrap around the metal and she uses all of her strength to try and tug them free. The sound of her thrashing around is interrupted by a loud cry in the distance. Sharp blue eyes fill with tears as she listens to the child scream.

She grates her teeth together. Anger fuses itself to her blood and a fire blazes underneath her skin. Cara's cries reverberate through the empty cell and Kahlan feels the sound in every part of her body. Her heart hammers into her chest, tears begin to spill from her eyes and a darkness falls over the Confessor's consciousness.

"Cara!" she cries out again to no avail.

The sound of chuckling breaks her from her rampage on the cell wall. She turns to face the old woman and rushes immediately. Kahlan grasps air and slams against the cold stonewall of the cage. The woman had dissipated, and reformed on the other side of the small space. "Stop this!" the Confessor screams, surging forward again in an attempt to capture the woman and end this nightmare. Again, the woman dissolves into the air and Kahlan's finger wrap around the rusted bars in her stead.

"Sorceress!" the young warrior cries out. Her voice laced with frustration.

Cara's screams cease in the background and the ward in eerily calm before a gust of wind sweeps it's way through the cave. Kahlan grips the bars tighter, her knuckles turning ice white under the pressure.

The form appears on the other side of the bars, grey eyes piercing into her as they stare her down. Amusement is painted upon the old woman's face, laugh lines crinkling. The same low chuckle fills the silence. Kahlan resists the urge to reach out, tightening her fists harder around the bars. Rusts chips off and cakes itself to her palms. The Confessor notices nothing but the woman in front of her.

"Stop this," she demands through clenched teeth. Blue eyes lock ferociously with grey ones. Kahlan can feel the fury as it radiates off her skin.

The old woman lets out a hearty laugh as she rests her hand on top of her staff.

"Oh, Confessor," she chuckles out, "I must admit I am impressed."

Confusion washes over Kahlan as she listens to the insane woman ramble.

"That was quite the bout of anger. I would not have believed you had it in you if not for having the pleasure of witnessing it with my own two eyes."

"You're vile," Kahlan utters, her stomach churning under the gleeful gaze of the other woman.

Her statement only seems to please the woman more, "Flattery will get you no where with me, Confessor. Though I do appreciate the sentiment."

Grey eyes rake over her body sickeningly, sizing her up. The woman trails her eyes over Kahlan, her face pensive for many moments before cracking a sly grin and shaking her head. "You certainly are something. Perhaps this will not be as fruitless as I originally predicted."

The woman's words made no sense to Kahlan and she thrashes angrily against the bars again. "What is this!"

A long, amused eyebrow quirks in Kahlan's direction, "a holding chamber."

"Well that much was fairly obvious, thank you. Where are we?"

The old woman stands straighter, her height no longer hidden by her posture. As she stand and strides closer to Kahlan, the full length of her body becames apparent. The woman was quite tall.

"A MordSith breaking facility." Responds the woman before leaning against the cell door.

Kahlan watches her captor as she moves. The woman may have the outward age of a frail elderly woman, but her movements are precise, strong, and graceful. Kahlan remembers the way the woman fought against her before. She was agile and skilled, obviously much more capable of battle than her appearance suggested. As the Confessor inwardly debates whether or not to try and strike again, helplessness settles into her. She's behind bars, against a woman who was much quicker with powerful magic. And Kahlan's own magic did not work against her. She resigned herself to submission.

"You can stop this. Cara.. she's just a small child. She doesn't deserve what's about to happen to her. Please, stop this. Do with me what you will, but don't allow an innocent life to be destroyed."

The pleading tone of her voice surprises Kahlan. The woman barks out another laugh before meeting her eyes. "Oh, you were being serious."

"Please.." Kahlan begs.

The woman sighs and rolls her eyes. "These are memories, Confessor, you said it yourself... Your actions bare no consequence in this realm," she supplies in a bored tone, "the same as mine do not. Though it would hardly matter otherwise."

"I don't believe you," she seethes, "This is a lie. You created this. You can make it stop."

Kahlan pulls her body closer to the grated door. Her eyes darken as she listens to the silver haired woman speak.

"Easier to judge blindly than to see and understand, is it Confessor?"

There is a mocking tone to the woman's words. As if she is baiting Kahlan into an argument.

The brunette keeps her tone even, "I had the chance to Confess, Cara. I chose not to. You don't-"

"Ah, yes, your act of mercy." Frail hands begin to trace the bars Kahlan holds, "A sign to the people that redemption is attainable, even the vilest of MordSith are redeemable."

"Cara is remorseful of her past." Kahlan defends.

"A past that exists, regardless of your delusion otherwise. I've no need to construct this reality, Confessor. It resides inside of her. It has been etched into time."

Grey eyes are on her again and Kahlan can feel the coldness behind them as they cut through her. The woman's gaze is haunting. There is something about her eyes that causes the Confessor pause. They are so empty.

"Spare me your ramblings, Sorceress. Tell me why you're doing this."

Her voice betrays her confidence. The words come out steady and strong, though Kahlan feels herself begin to fade. The confusion, Cara, her inability to defend herself… the Confessor could taste the fear as it crawled up from the bottom of her stomach.

"This is a gift, Kahlan Amnell, a mercy even. And you are unworthy." The words are soaking with disdain as the woman spits her reply, "You and your Seeker, both. Quite the pair you two make, small torches blazing in the night, all the while blind against the darkness of which you fear."

The atmosphere grows tense as the woman speaks and Kahlan feels her eyes go wide. The malice with which this frail woman articulates is striking and unexpected. Her words go straight to Kahlan's heart and it frightens her.

"You do not see, Confessor."

Kahlan takes a step back as she watches the woman grab her staff and slam it's bottom hard against the ground. A loud boom sounds and Cara's cries echo against the stonewalls once more.

"I'm s-sorry. Please, Mommy!"

The words carve themselves into Kahlan's soul. Agiel's hiss in the background, clashing and squealing in delight as they strike flesh. The brunette can hear a woman calling out in pain, begging for her torture to stop. She recognizes the cries. Cara's mother is at the hands of the MordSith. "They're breaking her.." she whispers to herself.

"Yes." The silver haired woman confirms. She waves her hand towards Kahlan and the air thickens once more. A familiar feeling rises within the Confessor. Her eyes dart forward. The woman's form is fading away. The rusty bars crumbling in her hands like dust. The world is falling away again. Kahlan falls with it.

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><p>Thanks for reading :)<br>Let me know what you thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Sacrifice  
><strong>Author: <strong>Chantel  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-R, dark themes in later chapters.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Legend of the Seeker or the Sword of Truth series. This is all non-profit, creative fun. I'm just expressing Nerd solidarity and borrowing the characters for a bit :)  
><strong>Summary: <strong>While fighting against a powerful, mysterious woman.. Kahlan is launched into an unknown world of sorrow, pain, and death. This is her journey.. or is it?  
><strong>ReviewsFeedback: **Would love to hear your comments. Seriously, send em my way. Please? And thank you!

**WARNING: This part deals with mature themes that may be disturbing to some readers. Please be advised that this chapter deals with violence in an explicit manner.**

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><p>Kahlan is propelled into a large dank room. Jagged rocks push their way through the hard ground, stained dark with blood. It's cold. The first thing Kahlan notices is a woman chained roughly to the rock wall directly in front of her. Her left leg looked broken and bruises littered her arms. The Confessor moved towards her quickly, bringing her hands to the woman's face in an attempt to access the damage to her head. Her fingers ghost through the bloodied skin. The Confessor groans loudly and whips her head around. Time slows for Kahlan as her eyes fall upon the lump on the floor, a few paces away from the restrained woman.<p>

Cara's dress is torn and dirtied. Her blonde hair is now dark, caked with mud and dried blood. The girl huddles into herself, shaking and running her hands repeatedly up and down her arms. She wears no shoes and Kahlan can see the infected flesh of her feet flinch as a group of rats try to bite at her. Water trickles from the roof of the cave and falls steadily onto Cara's body.

Sea green eyes look up at the rats and Cara scampers closer to her mothers side. Kahlan notices that Cara hardly even winces as her feet scrape across the rough terrain, leaving a trail of blood behind her.

"Momma?" Cara whispers, eyes darting out the survey the cave. Only the sound of water falling and rats rustling around answers the young girl. "Momma?" Cara pleads again, "Can you hear me?"

Kahlan feels a steady ache grow throughout her body as she watches Cara beg for her mother to answer. It's as if someone is turning her blood to ice and steam at the same time. The burn swirls violently under her skin and her heart beats hard against her chest. She feels it consume her.

"Momma, please?" Cara chokes out, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. As the little girl reaches out to hold her mother's hand, a loud clanging noise shoots through the air. Metal scraps across rock, and footsteps approach from behind.

The Confessor watches as Cara's eyes go wide with fear and she draws her knees close to her chest.

"It's okay," Kahlan tries to comfort her. Willing the child to know that she was not alone.

Her voice is swallowed by the air around her.

"Cara," a voice sounds, "You know the rules."

The blonde MordSith trainer snakes across the ground, grinning wickedly as she stalks towards Cara. Red leather constricts against her body, almost seductively, as the woman steadily makes her way further into the room.

"No touching her. Why were you about to break them?"

Cara's scared eyes look up towards the woman as she towers over her small body. She chokes on her words, unable to form a complete sentence.

Kahlan kneels down beside Cara's trembling body and focuses every ounce of strength and power she has. Her eyes close in an attempt to channel her magic. A strong hand reaches out to hold Cara's shaking one. The feeling of her fingers passing inconsequentially through the dirtied hands of the child before her tears at the very essence of Kahlan's being.

"I wanted her to feel better," Cara whispers quietly.

The MordSith lowers herself to one knee in front of Cara. Her worn leather gloves trail across the bruised face and under Cara's chin, before gripping her neck lightly.

"Why?" the trainer asks.

"She is hurt..?" Cara lets out confused.

Kahlan watches, transfixed on the MordSith beside her. She is so close. She can feel the heat from the blondes body radiate towards her and it makes her want to Confess every woman in the training facility. Cara's body trembles in the cold while these women bask in warmth and wellness.

The trainer smiles sweetly before she speaks, "You feel love for her, yes? And want to make her feel better by comforting her? Is that it, Cara?"

The little girl nods her head yes, "When I'm hurt, Momma always hugs me better."

Rich laughter bounces off of the rock walls as the MordSith chuckles at Cara's reply.

Before the woman finishes her laugher, her hands tighten around Cara's neck and she hoists the girl into the air, holding her to the maximum height of her ability.

"Your hugs will never heal her wounds," the woman seethes out through clenched teeth.

Cara's feet dangle at her waistline, and her hands move frantically against the woman's grip.

"Love will do nothing but make you weak."

Kahlan watches as the trainer shoves Cara against the wall and uses her other hand to turn the blondes head towards her mother.

"Look at her," the MordSith demands. Cara complies.

"The feeling in your stomach? That pain deep inside? It comes from your heart. From your attachment to this woman. It is there because you care for her and that makes you weak. It is because of this weakness, that you disobeyed me."

The trainer throws Cara to the ground.

"It is because of this weakness that you find yourself in this quandary."

Shrill magic hisses as the Agiel is drawn. The weapon strikes Cara repeatedly and the young girl cries out in pain, curling into herself to shield her soft spots.

"You draw away from this punishment, Cara and yet you hand yourself over to it by choice."

Burn marks appear on the girls arms and legs as the trainer continues her lashing.

"Do not shield yourself from this lesson!" the woman hisses, kicking her boot into Cara's stomach. Kahlan loses the breath from her lungs as she watches Cara struggle to stay flat on her back, obeying the woman abusing her.

"Love will do nothing but weaken you. Void yourself of it and you become strong."

The MordSith trainer emphasizes her point by focusing her Agiel on the young girls neck. Tears stream down Cara's face as she weeps at the attack, twitching under the burn of the weapon. "Do not cry. You cry because you are scared. Aren't you?"

The woman relents long enough for Cara to sob out a strangled, "Yes"

"Do not fear the pain of the Agiel, Cara, embrace it. It will harden you, protect you. It will strengthen you."

The trainer bends and wipes the blood from Cara's face and draws up chin upward so that green eyes focus intensely up at her. Her voice is laced with conviction as she speaks,

"Love. Compassion. Mercy. These emotions leave you without defense. You are weak with them. Anger. Hatred. Pain. These things bring you strength and direction. They give you fire. Hand yourself over to them and you will burn hot enough to destroy your enemies without effort or pause. You will become untouchable."

A piece of Kahlan shifts inside of her at the statement. She thinks back to every time she had ever spoken to Cara of emotion. The Confessor had belittled the MordSith, teased her playfully about her inability to understand the way other people connected. There is nothing playful about this. Her blue eyes lock on the scene in front of her. Richard's words echo in her mind.

_MordSith are not born. They're broken. _

She had been so terribly unaware of how exact that statement had truly been.

"Stand up." The trainer commands. Somehow the bruised and bloodied child manages to pull herself to her feet. Kahlan's heart shudders with pride, as Cara stands tall.

"Now strike me," the MordSith orders fiercely.

Cara's eyes moisten as she looks, terrified around the cave. Her eyes land on a free rock, two feet from her. Green eyes waver and Cara takes two steps away from the woman in front of her, retreating into herself.

"Hesitation," The trainer sighs, rolling her eyes before returning her Agiel to her belt. She moves towards the door and unlocks it, swings it open and walks through before stepping aside. "If you can walk from this room without breaking your stride, you are free to go."

The girl's feet dash forward. She makes it five whole paces before her body tightens and Kahlan sees her slow.

"Go!" The Confessor yells out pleadingly to deaf ears.

Cara stops and turns towards her mother, eyes wide with love and regret.

The slamming of the metal gate sounds and Kahlan knows that Cara has missed her opportunity. Her stomach turns once more. A violent tide crashes into the Confessor as she finds herself wishing that the woman, who she so often curses for her lack of compassion, could have just walked away from her mother without caring.

"You are unable to leave because of your love. You hesitate because your emotions have made you weak and because of that hesitation you have lost the prospect of freedom."

Kahlan's heart thuds and she grows cold under the realization that she doesn't disagree with everything the woman had said. Bile accumulates in her stomach.

"It is your love for that woman that traps you in this cell. Compassion will be the end of you, Cara. Make no mistake of that." The words hang in the atmosphere as the trainer walks away from Cara and out towards an unknown exit.

Her fists tighten and her arms begin to shake. Kahlan can't even comprehend the surge of emotions flooding through her body as she watches Cara look helplessly around her prison. Blonde hair mats roughly to Cara's head as the fresh blood begins to coagulate. Dull green eyes begin to glaze over as Kahlan watches a spark of understanding register across the girl's face.

Cara wipes the tears from her eyes and spits out a mouthful of blood. She limps her way over the rocks, holding her stomach as she does and lowers herself to the ground, her back to the Confessor.

Kahlan looks between the girl and her mother and her face whitens, as she understands what is happening. A pain stabs at her stomach and before she can stop herself, she is bent forward, heaving violently as her emotions implode within her.

She is sick for several moments before she regains her composure. Her eyes search the cave, desperate to find that the blonde has moved from her resting place. As she looks towards the battered child cowering against the wall of stone in front of her, Kahlan knows that this is the moment. This is what altered Cara irrevocably.

The Confessor looks at the room and it suddenly becomes so much more than walls, stones and metal. It transforms into something more than just a cage or prison. It becomes a defining moment. The pinnacle of hopelessness: A mother chained to the back wall, her child huddled distantly against the front.

She watches Cara grip at the wall before her, pressing herself against the sharp rocks as she attempts to put as much distance between them as possible. Cara is as far away from her mother's body as she can manage.

Kahlan wants to reach for Cara. She wants to pull the young girl into her arms and hold her until the coldness in her heart subsides and she is warm again. She moves towards Cara and sits beside her, resigned to the fact that she is just a spectator here and can do nothing more. Despite her attempts not to, she finds herself singing her lullaby. She prays that somehow the Spirits allow the blonde to hear it, to know that she is not alone.

Her voice echoes through the room and fades into the quiet as Kahlan is gripped by magic. She closes her eyes and fades into the cold gray prison walls beside her.

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><p>Time stops for certain moments in life. Kahlan has never experienced her world come to a complete and utter stop before. She has seen things appear to take place in slow motion, has felt her heart slow and speed and her head spin. Her eyes have narrowed in tunnel vision and she has been gripped by a many consuming visions and emotions. Throughout her experiences though, she has never been so consumed by a single moment in time that she has failed to act. Kahlan Amnell is a strong woman. She is fierce, courageous and unwilling to resign herself to fear. Amidst the bristling wind and harsh sound, Kahlan prepares herself for what she is about to see. But when the spinning comes to a stop and she opens her eyes, the Mother Confessor finds herself completely unable to move.<p>

Her heart actually stops beating. The air is pulled from her lungs. Her body feels like it's being hollowed and her eyes are glued in place. She is frozen, suspended in the horror of the moment and helpless against the power of it's effect. Time comes to a crashing halt and Kahlan loses a part of herself as it does.

Cara hangs, suspended from barbed chains at the wrist. Her nine-year-old body sways sickly back and forth as she writhes under the Agiel pressed into her back. Blood seeps down her arms, cascading past her naked chest and over her stomach, down her exposed center until it drips from her legs and puddles on the floor below her. Her wrists are mangled, torn flesh hangs loosely under her restraints.

When time resumes, Kahlan forces herself to look away. She turns her body and throws her arms up to cover her eyes. She feels her hands being ripped from her face and when she musters the courage to open her eyes again, Kahlan notices the Sorceress in front of her.

Sick, yellow teeth move as the woman hisses at her, "You must watch!" The woman commands, shoving Kahlan back roughly.

She feels her back connect forcefully with a wall and when she looks towards Cara, the girl no longer hangs in the air. The scene has changed. She is in another holding cell. The blonde is huddled in the corner again; rats swarming her as the scent of her open wounds draw them in.

The MordSith trainer walks towards Cara, Agiel poised to strike her face when the small girls eyes flash defiantly at her. Hard green eyes glare, almost challengingly at the MordSith. Laughter flows from the blonde woman's mouth as she lowers her weapon, "Are you angry, Cara?"

Her voice is amused, pleased as she dangles her Agiel dangerously close to the wounded child.

"Perhaps, you might like those vile rodents to leave you be? Are you annoyed at their constant attention towards your flesh? Does it bother you that such small creatures feed from you? When you are clearly the larger, superior being?"

Cara's eyes darken at the MordSiths words. Her clear green iris's cloud and a shadow passes through them before her jaw tightens and fists clench together. She is silent as she glares up at the woman in dark leathers, her attention focused on the Agiel near her face.

"You want it to stop?" The woman taunts.

"Do something about it."

The Agiel is thrown to the ground forcefully, dust scattering through the air as it lands with a thud. Cara reaches immediately for the weapon, gripping it in her hands as it squeals and burns her skin.

Kahlan notices the little girls body becomes rigid. Her eyes flash dangerously at the rats around her, nibbling and swarming her body. Something snaps and her head rises slowly to meet the stare of the blonde woman above her. The long braid reflects the light of the torch behind her as the MordSith nods, "Hesitate and die a coward."

Cara's hand clenches the weapon and she thrashes it wildly around the room, striking rat after rat beside her feet. The girl's face is hard as she crushes the rodents violently. The Agiel hisses as she strikes out relentlessly. In seconds, a pile of dead rats lay at her feet, but Cara does not stop there. She moves across the room ferociously, using both the Agiel and her feet to kill as many of the animals as she can find.

Blue eyes go wide as Cara slaughters over a hundred rats mercilessly. Kahlan watches, horrified, as the blonde child exacts her vengeance. Visions of Cara dancing happily in a pile of fallen leaves flashes behind her eyes. The contrast of the light red leaves flowing around her feet collides against the sight of the bloodied bodies of rats being kicked aside.

When Cara kills the last rat, she jams the Agiel violently down on it's body until the corpse sizzles and shrinks under the burn of it's force. Her breathing is hard and she stands taller, with a firmness that Kahlan recognizes from the Cara she knows. An odd fear wraps itself around the Confessor and she struggles with the pang in her heart. She has seen Cara slaughter armies, fight Banelings. She knows that Cara has killed hundreds of people and yet, watching the blonde massacre a room full of rodents has shaken her to the core. Kahlan has never been more fearful of the blonde than she is right now.

Cara turns and throws the Agiel boldly towards the boots of the MordSith. The woman quirks a sultry smile, "Well done," she articulates seductively. Kahlan's insides twist.

Out of nowhere, a large wooden staff slams into Kahlan's face. She is knocked back and falls hard. She feels grass under her fingers and she is not surprised to look up and see the blue sky looming freely above her. The sun bathes her in warmth and the brunette can't help but feel mocked at the abrupt change of atmosphere. She feels the blood drip from her nose and the tangy metallic flavour engulfs her sense of taste. Her face throbs.

Before she can adjust herself, the staff slams into her again, striking her torso. Kahlan shouts out in pain when she is hit again across her knees. Silver hair shines in the sunlight as the old woman wields her staff downward and across Kahlan's face. Pain courses through her body as the brunette struggles under the attack. Her head becomes foggy and her vision blurs. She dizzily reaches out to block the hard wood. Her hands meet air.

Urging her body into action, The Confessor gathers her strength and forces herself to stand. Her muscles pull tightly against her skin, wounds constricting and sending waves of hurt throughout her consciousness. After moments of struggle, Kahlan pulls herself off the ground. The old woman leans against the bloodied staff, scowling and watching as she stands on shaky legs.

"You will not turn away again. Do you understand me?"

Kahlan can't speak. Her mouth dries and though she tries, she is unable to form words.

The woman is in front of her within the blink of an eye, her hands around Kahlans throat, lifting her off the ground and raising her towards the sky.

"Do not delude yourself with the idea that these memories are too much to bare. You need only watch, not participate. It is as if your ignorance knows no bounds, Confessor!"

Grey eyes burn with anger as the womans voice rasps out. Kahlan feels hands tighten around her neck and she struggles to breathe. She starts to see stars under her eyelids at the pressure and moments before surrendering to the darkness creeping through her mind, she is released and crumples to the ground.

The woman throws her staff down beside her and straddles Kahlan, pinning her arms above her head with one hand and roughly straightening her face with the other. Her eyes lock on the Confessors and change from grey to dark red as her pupils double in size. Kahlan is pulled into the stare unwillingly and feels the woman pry her jaw open. Rotten breath fills her senses as the Sorceress exhales a putrid yellow fog. She tries to hold her breath but the fog works its way into her lungs.

Kahlan feels the poison seep toxically through her system. She is sent spiraling into a frenzy of harsh still frames. The pictures flick through her mind rapidly, imprinting themselves behind her eyes.

_Cara being struck with an Agiel. _

_Dark, matted hair being washed clean. Blood disappearing from the childs face as a group of adolescent MordSith tend to Cara's wounds. _

_Fire blazing around the blonde in a circle. _

_Cara kneeling before the MordSith trainer obediently. _

_Cara striking other young captives with multiple different weapons. _

_Cara beside the woman who betrayed her as she tortured her mother. _

_Fierce green eyes, devoid of emotion, staring intensely across an empty room._

The fog settles in Kahlans lungs heavily. Her head is spinning with images and she feels herself become drunk from the poison in her system. The images speed up and become flashes of memories as the toxic fog hits her body harder.

_Cara being fitted with leathers, blank faced and apathetic. _

_Her mother being burned and beaten with the Agiel. Blood spattering across her face as the MordSith whom Cara claimed obedience to tortures her. Cara's mother lasts less than a day before she is broken. Cara's eyes flash with disgust at the ease in which she submits. _

_Cara's mother being slaughtered in front of her. _

_A man being abducted and imprisoned. The man, Cara's father, squirms under the restraint of three MordSith as his tongue is cut from his mouth. _

Everything is speeding up for Kahlan. Her body feels like it is being thrown through space. She is weightless, tossed from scene to scene. She vaguely registers the taste of blood in her mouth.

_Cara approaches her father grimly. He is bruised, hands bound behind his back. Her face holds a small smile until she reaches him and he remains silent. She quirks an eyebrow and tilts her head to the side. He sobs before her. Cara turns towards her mentor, and is rewarded with an Agiel placed firmly in her hand._

Fire spreads through Kahlan. Her blood pulses through her body, pounding against her eardrums as she plummets towards the ground quickly. She can feel the earth pulling her back towards it.

_Cara's fingers wrap around the hilt of the Agiel almost timidly. Her eyes dart back to her father and her grip tightens. Without taking her eyes off of the man, she whips her body towards him angrily. The Agiel slams across his face, easily shattering the bones in his face._

Kahlan can feels the wind whip past her body violently.

_Cara screams and rushes the man as he falls to the ground. Her Agiel shudders and hisses as it's magic surges and she strikes her father repeatedly. He groans and grunts unintelligibly, twitches and convulses as she strikes him in the back of his head. _

"_Kill him, Cara!" a voice sounds. _

_The blonde shakes her head and kicks him in the gut, "Not yet," she rasps out._

Colours, sounds, words, feelings and tastes collide chaotically inside of Kahlan as she tumbles through the sky. A deafening cry calls her attention and her eyes find a focus she had forgot she held. The fog is ripped from her lungs, pulling the poison from her body as she exhales. The world becomes clear again and for a single perfect moment, Kahlan is suspended, high above the ground.

_Empty green eyes stare at the battered man before her, casting a shadow across his body as she towers over him._

Wind catches in Kahlans dark locks, when she blinks, her hair lashes across her face furiously and she is plunging towards the earth again. A field comes into focus as the Confessor falls, head first towards it.

_Sweat beads over Cara's brow as she stares at the man. Her face is devoid of any emotion as she kneels on his back and grabs a fistful of his hair. _

She can feel the force of the ground closing in on her.

_Cara raises the Agiel to her fathers exposed neck. She stares deeply into his eyes._

Kahlan closes her eyes. In a few seconds it will all be over.

_Her eyes stay trained on her fathers as Cara slashes the Agiel across his throat._

Her entire body burns as white hot fire scorches through her it.

_Cara's eyes stay locked on her father as she watches the life drain from him. He dies in her grasp. She doesn't even blink._

Kahlan slams into the ground. Her body breaks on impact. She doesn't have time to notice the darkness as it swallows her whole.

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><p>So this chapter was longer than the last. Hope that's okay. I could really use some feedback on this one guys. Send me a review and let me know how you feel about this chapter.<p>

Thanks for reading. :)


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